101 Questions… Consumer, Political, Humorous and Starbucks

I had the day off today (I needed it!). I read on another blog that a lot of folks do searches for “101”. So… as usual, I’m testing the theory to see what the response is. I was surprised at how easy it was to come up with these, there’s so many things in the world, in business, and in this country that drive me crazy. Of course, perhaps it’s just me. Feel free to ask your questions or answer mine via comments.

We have them because we have winner take all elections. Europeans have a radically different system for their elections, which favor many parties and governing coalitions.

28. Why is fruit more expensive than potato chips? Heck, it grows on trees!

Much of the cost of fresh fruit is due to spoilage. Potatoes grow in the ground and are very cheap.

36. Why isnâ??t Puerto Rico a state but Alaska and Hawaii are?

The people of Puerto Rico vote not to become a State.

37. Why do our forces have to follow the rules and terrorists donâ??t?

They are called terrorist precisely because they donâ??t follow the rules of land warfare.

43. Why do homeowners get to take their interest off their taxes but renters canâ??t take their rent off? Doesnâ??t rent help the economy, too?

There is a renterâ??s deduction.

45. Why does Al Gore take a private jet to his speaking engagements on global warming?

Mostly it is due to Al Gore being a wealthy elitist hypocrite.

49 Why do we hold the military to such a high standard when most of the military are folks who canâ??t afford to go to college or have come from a challenged upbringing?

Most military personnel come from middle class backgrounds.

53 How come white-collar criminals get it easy when they steal more than common criminals?

When this is the case it is probably due to the fact that A. They have better lawyers, and B. didnâ??t put a gun in anyoneâ??s face to get what they wanted.

63. Why did Tommy Chong go to jail for drug paraphernalia, but Rush Limbaugh is still on the radio after doing drugs illegally?

Tommy got busted in Utah. Utah is a very strict state. For what it is worth, Salt Lake is probably the last big city in America where people donâ??t lock their doors at night.

66. Why arenâ??t their single seat cars? I only see one person in every car on the way to work.

Single seat cars are called motorcycles.

70. If exercise is good for you, how come thereâ??s no way for me to walk or ride my bike to work?

I ride my bike to work every day. If it is that important to you to walk or ride you bike to work, then either find a job closer to home or move closer to your place of employment. It isnâ??t the responsibility of everyone else in the world to build sidewalks and bike paths around your convenience.

11. Why does everyone say â??Separation of Church and Stateâ? when itâ??s not in the Constitution or the Declaration of Independence?

This is the standard line used by the ACLU, and the liberal media has no motivation to challenge it.

19. How come politicians retire before folks in the military can?

Military folks can retire as early as their 37th birthday.

20. How come we donâ??t get to vote on raises for politicians?

We have a Republic in which rules and laws are made by elected officials, rather than a direct democracy, in which rules and laws are made by the direct whim of the people.

22. Why does the water I get out of the tap discolor my sinks, toilets and bathtubs?

You and I live in Indianapolis, our groundwater contains large quantities of limestone, which leave the stain.

34. Why do stores have so many checkout lines when most of them are closed?

They use the extra lanes at Christmas time when stores are packed with shoppers.

38. Why do my kids have so much time off of school?

So the boys can help their pa with the farm chores.

40. Why arenâ??t gay civil unions okay?

Why arenâ??t straight civil unions ok? Can I have a civil union with my hamster; I think he should be covered by my health plan. What about polygamous Mormons can they have a civil union with all 14 wives?

41. Why does everyone look so surprised when I tell him or her I have full custody of my kids?

They probably look surprised because men almost never get full custody of their kids in an Indiana divorce. Full custody is usually only granted to a father when the mother has done some serious jail time.

44. How are politicians so wealthy?

Most politicians acquire their wealth before coming into office. If a person becomes wealthy while in office, it is likely they did so dishonestly. Your question should probably be â??why is it that only people of wealth are attracted to run for officeâ?? The answer would be, because working class people are to busy earning a living to run for office.

46. If weâ??re at war, how can the oil industry continue to get record profits? Isnâ??t that price gouging?

Oil prices are set by supply and demand. Software companies make record profits too, is that price gouging? Price fixing leads to shortages, hoarding and black market trading.

50. Why canâ??t politicians be fired?

They can be, they can loose in an election. The California recall election, took this to a new level.

51. How come Indiana switched time zones and still has some counties in other ones?

As far as I can tell, Indiana time zone hopping has to do with a psychological inferiority complex Hoosiers seem to possess. The whole affair made no sense to me.

54. Isnâ??t the stock market gambling?

I suppose it is gambling, but even crossing the street is a gamble in a certain form. I think it is distinguished from gaming because it is not tied to entertainment.

55. Why do I have to go to a bar to get a date? Donâ??t any single women hang out at Borders?

I hear single women ask this same question. I am guessing that the problem you are having has less to do where your looking, so much as who your looking for. I would imagine that you meet single women in borders quite often but they are not the women you are looking for.

56. Why donâ??t Starbucks and Borders have Ladies Night?

I think ladies night refers to lack of a cover charge for women. Since Starbucks doesnâ??t charge you to get in, I donâ??t see how this would apply. People go to bars to hook up because alcohol lowers social inhibitions, and because dancing is some sort of weird foreplay.

Indianapolis does have a door-to-door dry-cleaning service. There are not more of these businesses because they are more expensive and generally only service north side homes.

60. Why does France have more nuclear power plants than the United States?

I believe there are several reasons for this. The main one is mostly due to a lack of French coal. Of the worlds developed nations, only France and Japan lack significant amounts of coal to produce electricity. Japan is somewhat Atom phobic for obvious reasons.

61. Why canâ??t we ship nuclear waste out to space?

Space shuttles on occasion explode it the atmosphere.

62. Why is hemp illegal? It grows faster than trees, is stronger, and isnâ??t a drug.

I didnâ??t know industrial hemp was illegal. I seem to remember hemp clothing being fashionable a few years back, I think the whole industrial hemp is illegal thing is an urban myth.

64. How come things are so expensive at a convenience store? It would be more convenient if I didnâ??t pay so much.

You are paying for the convenience of having the store closer to your home.

65. Why do we scream about the price of gas but we pay $3.50 for a Grande Mocha at Starbucks. (Mmmmmm.)

I bike to work and tend to drink water. I am guessing that people are bothered by the fact that the price of gasoline is in flux daily and they donâ??t understand why.

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